Maytag Blue reigns in the heart of Iowa

Whenever world-famous chef Emeril Lagasse mentions Maytag Blue Cheese on TV, bam!--the phones at Maytag headquarters here start ringing. Not that Maytag needs Emeril. Prestigious chefs such as James Beard and Julia Child, and magazines like Bon Appetit and Gourmet, have sung the Blue's praises in the past.

It's always seemed deliciously paradoxical to me that this famous and fancy cheese is produced in Newton--a small, low-key town in the heart of the Midwest. When a fellow cheese lover and I were on a recent road trip that took us near Newton, we had to stop. Maytag headquarters lie on the outskirts of Newton, down a blacktop road lined with farmhouses and crop fields, a quarter of a mile from a Maytag appliance plant. Yes, the two are connected, but only by family and therefore name. E.H. Maytag, son of the man who began the appliance firm, started the dairy farm as a hobby in 1919. The two distinctively varied businesses have been separate ever since.The current Maytag Dairy Farms is more of a working office than a tourist destination, yet we were made welcome from the instant we entered.

The wood-paneled tasting room's compact cheese counter is in view of both the farm exactly pictured on Maytag Dairy Farm labels and an office full of women busy at desks. Janice Jontz, a part-time Maytag employee for 35 years, left hers to help us. Jontz led us to a room with filing cabinets and folding chairs, where in lieu of a farm tour, visitors can watch an 11-minute, fact-filled (yet obviously dated) video on a mammoth old TV. Turns out it's really no mistake that the famous cheese is from Iowa. It's more a matter of good timing. During the 1920s and '30s, Maytag bottled milk and cream for home delivery. At that time, just an hour and a half away in Ames, researchers at Iowa State University were experimenting with making blue cheese from homogenized cow's milk. (Before that, it was traditionally made with sheep's milk.) Maytag and ISU teamed up. In 1941, the dairy sent an employee to the university to learn the process ISU researchers believed they had perfected. When he returned, Maytag's cheesemaking plant was born.

I knew to trust this historical data but, given the age of the tape, wasn't quite sure about the rest. My friend and I headed back to the cheese counter, where Jontz, bless her, was waiting with some cheese samples.

I asked about the tape's accuracy. Seems the passing of a decade or two didn't matter much. The cheesemaking process is the same now as it has been for decades. It's still made in small batches. Almost no machines are used.

The wedges ripen in caves for about six months. Some of the Holsteins who produce the milk that makes the cheese are even direct descendants of the original 1919 prize-winning herd.

Consistency, it seems, contributes to the quality of the cheese.

Here's the thing about buying it in Newton: It is extremely inexpensive. Not only do you skip the delivery charge, but the price is knocked down by as much as 40 percent. (A two-pound wheel is $13.50 at the store; it's $21.50 plus shipping by mail.) So with a view of the dairy farm from whence the famous cheese comes, we stocked up. In walked a couple from Maryland, driving cross-country to visit their children in Nebraska. They, too, said they couldn't drive anywhere near Newton without stocking up on Maytag Blue.

Jontz said lots of people stop on their way somewhere else. (It's worth noting that the cheese will generally keep without refrigeration, in temperate weather or an air-conditioned car, for as long as five days.) The Maytag store, plus mail and phone orders, are the only ways to get Maytag Blue cheese direct from the supplier--no Web site or e-mail here.

At first glance, this seems odd given the popularity of the product. But when I took the whole, homey experience of visiting Maytag into account, it fit. In fact, it was comforting. Why mess with a good thing?

If you go...

GETTING THERE

Newton is about 300 miles from Chicago. Take Interstate Highway 88 West to Interstate Highway 80 West. Off I-80 in Iowa, take exit 168 north to Newton. After about 4 miles, you will see the sign pointing you to Maytag Dairy Farms, 2282 E. 8th St. N.

CHEESE

Visitors are welcome (no charge) during business hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. At the tasting room, you can pick up two booklets full of cheesy recipes filled with ideas from customers and exchanged around Maytag offices.

For more information (or to order Maytag Blue Cheese), call 641-792-1133 or 800-247-2458.

LODGING

There are several choices in Newton (population:15,579) from hotels to B&Bs. One excellent choice is the 1905 LaCorsette Maison Inn (629 1st Ave. E.; 641-792-6833), which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Or, since Des Moines is only a half-hour away, you could make it your base.

DINING

If you haven't tried the Iowa-based phenomenon that is Maid Rite, you can do so in Newton at 215 1st Av. W. The classic red-and-white diner chain is famous for its loose-meat sandwich made of finely ground hamburger. It's typically served with mustard, onions and pickles--wrapped up in paper and with a spoon. (The bun is ridiculously loaded with meat, so the spoon lets you savor the ample overflow.) You can also skip the silly pretense of a sandwich and get your Maid Rite without the bun--basically, as a bowl of meat. There are plenty of other restaurants in Newton, from mom-and-pop diners to the usual franchise operations.

ATTRACTIONS

The International Wrestling Institute (303 Jefferson Street, Waterloo, IA 50701; 319-233-0745; www.wrestlingmuseum.org/) shows the history of what it touts as the world's oldest sport. Famous wrestlers featured range from Abe Lincoln to Vern Gagne. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $6 for adults $3 for students (17 and under) Children 6 and under are free.

Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center (8 miles south of I-80, Colfax exit, Prairie City; 515-994-3400) is the largest prairie reconstruction project in the United States. It includes more than 5,000 acres of protected prairie and oak savanna habitats. Hiking trails are open daily from daylight to dusk. Learning Center is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission free.